The present invention relates to the field of input/control devices and, more particularly, to an input/control device designed to be used with visual guidance while being held comfortably in the hands of a user. The present invention is particularly useful as a hand-held keyboard type input device for a computer.
The field of hand-held input/control devices is a particularly dynamic one, with devices of all shapes, sizes and functionalities being developed and available to the user. Each purports to offer some advantage in terms of utility, mobility, ease of use, pleasing appearance or other attractive feature or combination of features.
A wide range of examples illustrate the inventive thinking applied to the field: single hand remote control keypads include the devices shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,510 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,408; keypad units that require both hand use are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,055 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,397; a pyramid shaped ergonomic keyboard for a computer is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,449; a remote control unit shaped like a pistol is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,068; a folding remote control is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,625; an inflatable keyboard is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,461; U.S. Pat. No. 5,764,180 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,788 both describe devices in which the fingers rest on the lower portion of a remote control keypad unit, while U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,853 discloses a device in which the keypad is located on the underside of a handheld unit. There are many others.
Although the design of the input/control units described by these prior art documents and of input/control units available commercially is directly influenced by ergonomic considerations, the multitude of designs reflects the fact that, at present, there is not a single design configuration that, by common consensus, meets the needs of a majority of users.
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, an input/control device which is designed and configured so as to enable comfortable and natural positioning of the hands when inputting user commands.